January 6, 2012 - 9:24am
What's proportion of of endosperm, bran, germ?
I am going to buy white bread flour, wheat bran and germ separately and then combine them into whole wheat flour. May I know what is the proportion by weight that I should combine them to resemble the natural proportion found in wheat berries?
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http://wbc.agr.mt.gov/Consumers/diagram_kernel.html
Diagram of a Kernel
Bran - About 14% of the kernel weight. The bran is included in whole wheat flour and is also available separately. The bran contains a small amount of protein, large quantities of the three major B vitamins, trace minerals and dietary fiber -- primarily insoluble.
Endosperm - About 83% of the kernel weight and the source of white flour. The endosperm contains the greatest share of protein, carbohydrates and iron, as well as the major B-vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin and iron. It is also a source of soluble fiber
Germ - About 2.5% of the kernel weight. The germ is the embryo or sprouting section of the seed, often separated from flour in milling because the fat content (10 percent) limits shelf life. The germ contains minimal quantities of high quality protein and a greater share of B-complex vitamins and trace minerals. Wheat germ can be purchased separately and is included in whole wheat flour.
Thank you! I could not find this on my own
WHY?
Where I live, all the flour miller reps and baking supply store reps I've spoken to aren't knowledgeable about their products. I've asked them lots of questions and get puzzled looks in return, they are not quite sure what I'm asking and of course do not have the answer. They tell me, they don't have any other customers who want to know so much about their flour! None of the flour millers label their products with detailed information like what's found on the packaging of King Arthur, Bob's Red Mill, Stone-Buhr, etc. While they sell whole wheat flour, I have reservations whether it really includes wheat germ and whether the endosperm, bran, germ is in proportion to the natural berry's ratio. So I'm going to buy these items separately and combine them myself, in the ratio found above.
.......you could get a grain mill and mill your own whole grain flour, be it wheat, rye, spelt or whatever. You would be insured that you have fresh whole grain flour and, as most of us who mill flour at home would agree, better taste. Check out the Grains and Milling forum if you are interested.
In the current pandemic crisis, flour is one of the things that cannot be found in many grocery stores. So I am out of the whole wheat flour I usually use, but have been able to snag a couple of 1 lb. bags of plain white flour. Luckily, I have gluten, bran and wheat germ on my shelves, so we have not (yet) been reduced to buying commercial library paste bread. Thanks for this info. It came up in the top 5 of the Google search results.